It was wonderful seeing you all last month at The Great Ideas Summit 2014. Clearly, the warmer weather and picturesque views of South Beach were a welcome relief to the cold and frigid temps felt on the East Coast. There’s nothing like thawing out under the Miami sun while sitting poolside sipping a tropical drink.

The three-day conference was the perfect combination of business and leisure. By day, attendees talked business on the show floor, and by day’s end were relaxing with a cocktail and catching up with friends at our nightly parties. It was also refreshing to see people let their hair down a bit and show off their fun side in the ERA photo booth.

Tuesday and Wednesday were all about sharing ideas and best practices, especially in the Learning Lounge where ERA hosted six Masters Series sessions. Our seasoned marketing experts enlightened audience members to key topics such as online video 2.0, U.S. Hispanic millennials, brand response/retail, multichannel marketing, and attribution modeling. One of the most lively sessions was “Capture Your True ROI Using Attribution Modeling,” in which moderator Jack Kirby, Havas Edge; and panelists Monica C. Smith, I.Predictus; Keith Kochberg, Mercury Media; and Ken Mahony, Guthy-Renker; shared the ins and outs of web attribution modeling. Some of the highlights included: putting media first by buying the best media every week as consistently as possible; having a plan of action determined on the brand level to determine ROI on the web; and knowing your customer is in motion.

Another fantastic and engaging session was "5 Ways to Protect Your Retail Real Estate via Brand Response," in which speakers Jill Draper, president of Marketsmith; and Bob Gramer, consumer marketing director at Euro-Pro, provided attendees with tips for maintaining a strong brand presence in the retail space. Key takeaways from the session included: transforming your business from a product-centric DTC model to a consumer-centric retail brand; learning the importance of an integrated digital strategy; and understanding why using data is the key to knowing what works and what doesn't in retail.

It’s hard to believe that ERA has closed the book on another midwinter conference. It was a great week. Be sure to save the date for our next big event, the Government Affairs Fly-In, and join us in celebrating the 10 year anniversary of ERSP with a special half-day seminar. Mark your calendar for this can't-miss event held in Washington, D.C., May 20-21.

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